


I Like Your Hair When It's Down

by s0kkasimp



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ba Sing Se, F/M, First Kiss, How Do I Tag, Mutual Pining, Reader Loves Sokka, Reader-Insert, She/her pronouns, Sokka Fluff, Sokka Loves Reader, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, You and the GAang, sokka with his hair down, you're both idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:48:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24717790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s0kkasimp/pseuds/s0kkasimp
Summary: Reader is part of the GAang, and while they are in Ba Sing Se they decide to attend a party in the Upper Ring. Reader gets all dressed up to impress a certain Water Tribe boy.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar)/Reader, Sokka (Avatar)/You
Comments: 14
Kudos: 318





	I Like Your Hair When It's Down

**Author's Note:**

> The amount of Sokka/Reader in the world is abysmal, so here ya go. I haven't written in a long time, so if anyone has any prompts, I'd be happy to try and write some more!

The sun had just begun to peek through the blinds of the house in Ba Sing Se where the Avatar and his friends slept. Sokka slumbered on, arm thrown over his eyes, snoring softly, while Aang was curled up, breathing lightly. Katara woke with the sun and walked to the slatted windows of the house only to find you sitting there, running your fingers through your hair to get out all the tangles.

Flying on Appa really was hard on your hair, so you had it pulled back into stylish buns on the back of your head almost all the time. It also came in handy when the fire nation was hot on your heels, so really your hair never came down except for a wash.

"Hey," Katara whispered, sitting next to you and removing her hair from her loopies. You smiled at her.

"'Morning," you whispered. "You ready for tonight?"

She turned away from you to stare out the window, the light illuminating her face. Sighing softly, she shot you a nervous smile and continued to rake out her hair.

"I don't know. I guess I'm glad we're trying something fun in this stupid city, but this is so out of my comfort zone." You nodded knowingly at her words, turning back to take a peek at Sokka who had shifted to be face down into the floor, drool pooling around him. In the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se, lavish parties were thrown for even the smallest of occasions. For example, the night prior there had been a festival for the Earth King's bear. The night before that, it had been a party for the Upper Ring's babies and parents. Babies don't need parties! And the night before that, the cabbage harvest had been bountiful so they threw another party for THAT. You were beginning to wonder when these people didn't throw parties. But tonight's party was something special that had peaked everyone's interest even though they tried not to show it. It was a mixer for the teens of the Upper Ring. Supposedly it was only to "meet new people" and "make new friends" as the flyers put it, but everyone knew it was to try and meet that someone special.

Aang had casually suggested that they should attend so they could get to know the Earth people, but his hopeful look at Katara gave him away. Toph promptly turned her nose up at the thought of going to the mixer, but after minimal convincing she begrudgingly agreed.

Katara had been excited to go dress shopping and attempt to put makeup on. She had even somehow gotten Toph to agree to be her makeup tester. Sokka had been nonchalant about the whole thing, saying that he didn't care if he went or stayed. Toph then whispered to you that he was lying, which made your heart flutter a little bit. You completely missed the look he gave you, full of longing.

You were a very down to earth person. You couldn't bend, but you had grown up on Kyoshi Island and trained with the Kyoshi warriors, so you weren't too bad in a fight. When you fought, you kicked ass. It never ceased to impress. The moment Sokka had his ass handed to him on the Island by you and your warriors, he was head over heels for you. You laughed at his jokes. You were smart. You didn't discount him because he couldn't bend. You routinely fought and argued, but remained best friends. You two had a relationship that the others didn't quite understand.

Toph was the first to realize that Sokka had fallen big time for you. When you and the others were gone, she teased him endlessly, though Toph could completely understand why he liked you. You had a very magnetic personality. Toph was no match maker; that was Sugar Queen's job, but she sometimes would drop hints to you about just how funny or brave or smart Sokka was. Each time you amicably agreed and then swiftly moved on.

The Kyoshi Warriors had no time for relationships, but since you had left the island, you had let your heart wonder exactly what it would be like to be in someone's arms. You were trying to squash those feelings, but the more time you spent with the GAang, the harder it was.

"It's out of my comfort zone, too," you admitted. "But I think it could be fun. I haven't put on makeup since I left Kyoshi."

A grumbling came from your left.

"Would you two girly girls shut up? I'm trying to get some shut eye," a grouchy Toph said. "It's already bad enough that I'm going to this stupid thing, but now I have to be Katara's dress up doll." You muffled a snicker with your hand, turning to look at Toph who had begrudgingly begun to sit up.

"Oh you're not just Katara's dress up doll, you're mine, too!" You high fived Katara who looked just as gleeful as you about torturing Toph.

"Spirits," she groaned. "What did I get myself into."

"Don't worry, Toph, you're gonna have so much fun," Aang said sleepily, finally waking up. "I can't wait to meet everyone! This is gonna be great! It's all about positive thinking!"

"I'm positive you're gonna have to drag me there," Toph griped. "I regret this already."

"Don't be such a downer. If I can do it, so can you," you said cheerfully, hair carding through your fingers. She pouted.

"But you wanted to go.”

"Yeah," you shrugged, "but that doesn't mean I won't be uncomfortable. Dances, parties, and mixers really aren't my thing."

Your hair now cascaded down your back in soft waves, though still fairly tangled. You stood up, grabbed a change of clothes, some soap, and small box from next to your sleeping bag. Tiptoeing around a still sleeping Sokka, you made you way to the front door.

"I'm going to the bathhouse to wash up. Katara, Toph, do you want to come with?"

"No," scoffed Toph.

"Yes!" beamed Katara.

Katara took a long appraising look at Toph, then hauled her to her feet.

"You're covered in dirt and your hair is as big as a bush. You need to get cleaned up." Katara then turned to Aang. "Aang, can you get Sokka up? I think it would be best if you two got cleaned up, too." She turned to look disdainfully at her brother's sleeping form, now twisted in such a way that it could NOT be comfortable. You stifled a laugh.

"Sure thing, Katara!" Aang said, jumping to his feet, grinning widely at her. "See you guys later! Bye, Katara, bye (Y/N), bye Toph!" You gave Aang a small wave and a soft goodbye then left with the other girls. 

You arrived at the bathhouse which for the most part was empty. It was a definite change from the streams and rivers you had been forced to bathe in while on the run. You and the others began undressing and then slipped into the warm water, sighing in relief as it submerged your tired bodies.

"Fine," conceded Toph. "This feels pretty good. But that doesn't mean that I want to go to this thing."

You grinned at her.

"Admit it, you want to go. I know you want to mess with those pompous ambassadors."

Toph shrugged, smiling sheepishly.

"What can I say? I'm just a simple girl who likes simple things." Katara shot both of you a dirty look.

"Can’t we go one day without getting in trouble with the Earth Kingdom?”

“Where’s all the fun in that,” you said brightly, scrubbing yourself with a little lump of soap. “It’s not a real party unless we have the Dai Li on our tails.”

You and Toph turned to grin at each other, going in for a fist bump and completely missing each other. It was just so easy to forget she was blind.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about. I can’t wait until this is over. I came with you guys to escape the haughty windbags of high society, not join them again. Plus,” Toph shrugged, “We’re going to a party in the worst city ever. Gotta bring a little excitement.”

"Just don't forget why we're really there," Katara said after wringing out her hair. "To meet new people."

"Riiiight," you mumbled, pulling tangles out of your wet hair with a comb. "Like I really want to meet new people." Katara turned to look at you.

"Why are you even going if you don't want to meet new people," she asked. You sank lower into your bath water, your cheeks flushing a light pink.

"Just wanna check it out," you stammered out. "Plus I haven't had an excuse to dress up for a while." Katara nodded at you, not completely convinced and for once, Toph kept her mouth shut and didn't question why you were lying.

\---

Sokka opened his bleary eyes to the sight of a grinning Aang and a fuzzy Momo tugging on his wolf tail.

“Good morning sleepy head!”

Sokka groaned and shuffled down into his sleeping bag.

“Less talk, more sleep.” Aang lightly punched his sleeping bag where he thought his shoulder would be when Sokka began a series of loud fake snores.

“No can do, Sokka! We gotta get up and get ready for the party tonight!” This emanated another groan from Sokka, who picked Momo up and was using him to block the light shining through the slatted windows.

“Why are we going to that thing again?” Came Sokka’s muffled reply.

“Because,” Aang said a bit dreamily, “We get to see cute girls!”

In Sokka’s opinion, he got to see cute girls, ahem, girl, every day. He thanked his lucky boomerang you didn’t notice the way he would stare when you would laugh, your eyes sparkling in the sun. Or when you lounged in the water and watched Aang and Katara water bending. Or when you were spread out under the stars, eyes closed, a soft smile on your lips. Really, he was never not staring.

He mentally smacked himself. He was very capable of not thinking about you, thank you very much. Not thinking about how every time you handed him something, your hands touched and they were oh so soft. Not thinking about your terrible, terrible dad jokes that he adored. Not thinking about your-

Right. That’s just enough thinking for today, he decided.

He finally mustered the energy to sit up and stretch, but his sleeping bag was warm and comfortable and the house was so bare and the earthen floor was annoyingly hard. While Sokka had taken his time getting up, Aang was already chattering away about what new tunic he bought for the occasion and how excited he was to see Katara, or, uh, any girl in their new outfits.

“-and Toph and (Y/N) went to the bathhouses to wash up and I think Katara said something about us washing up, too. Actually, about that, I already went to the bathhouse and gave myself a good scrubbing, so really it’s just you that needs to wash.” Aang rambled from somewhere in the house.

Wiggling his way out of his sleeping bag much to his chagrin, Sokka grabbed his soap and his nicest water tribe tunic and headed off in the direction of the bathhouse, glowering at the boy who was much too awake for his taste.

\---

Getting Toph to bathe was surprisingly difficult. That girl was harder to handle than a damn platypus bear.

After lots of coaxing and “you can’t just sit in some water and call yourself clean” conversations, Toph was finally doused in water as Katara bent it to dump over her head. It was only then that Toph reluctantly agreed to use some soap. It was her philosophy that if she smelled bad, then no one would bother her at the party.

You had to admit she had some solid logic, but since Katara was right there you put on your mom mode and fussed over the earth bender. By the time you three were all washed, it was already nearing lunch. Spirits, how time was getting away from you all!

You three meandered back to the house where Aang was sitting on the front porch feeding Appa moonpeaches out of a woven basket.

When he saw you all, he shot straight up and gave an enthusiastic wave, his cheeks burning.

“H-hi Katara, hey Toph, hey (Y/N).”

“Hi, Aang,” you said, smiling at him. “You all clean?”

“Cleaner that Toph’s feet!” He quipped back, making Toph thwack a pebble off his forehead.

You grinned at him, elbowing Toph in the side as Katara snickered. “You make a fair point, my friend.” 

Katara, all business as she helped Toph climb the steps to the front door, asked “Did you manage to wake Sokka up? Ugh, he snores louder than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Sure did! He’s off at the bathhouse now!” Aang beamed at her, his good feelings contagious.

“Thanks, Aang. I appreciate it.” When she smiled at him, Aang swore he could see stars.

\---

If you thought getting Toph to properly bathe was hard, you and Katara had an even more difficult time trying to get her to sit still to put makeup on. She constantly squirmed, messing up her eyeliner and mascara, made sure to “sneeze” when you attempted lipstick, and rubbed her cheek the moment you had managed to get some blush on.

Katara finally managed to get her settled down and in the end, you were pretty pleased with yourself. She looked like a thousand gold pieces. Katara had woven her hair into a complex braid with tendrils of hair framing her face.

It didn’t take long for you and Katara to do your makeup and hair once Toph’s debacle was over. She opted for muted eyeshadow with long, luxuriously curled lashed and a bold lip which complemented her new dress very well. Her hair was mostly loose but she had managed to weave a braid around the crown of her head. You had to admit, if you weren’t already pining after Sokka, maybe his sister was the way to go.

You chose to do winged eyeliner with long lashes and a dash of blush across the apples of your cheeks and the tip of your nose. Light pink lipstick decorated your lips and muted eyeshadow made your eyes shimmer. You had let your hair down to dry and form natural waves, your baby hairs framing your face. It felt good to relax and let your hair down. Your dress was a floor length teal green gown that had immediately caught your eye when you went dress shopping with the others. Appraising yourself in the mirror, you caught a slack jawed Katara beaming at you.

“You look great, (Y/N)!” She gasped, hands flying to her mouth. Your rouged cheeks reddened at the compliment.

“Yeah, (Y/N) you look great!” Chirped Toph.

“Thanks guys, I really- ” It finally hit you. “Why you little,” you lunged at Toph who yelled and skirted away from you.

“All jokes, all jokes!” She shrieked as you continued trying to catch the little monster. Don’t tell her this, but you actually loved her. “I’m sure you look amazing!”

“Yeah, yeah,” you mumbled, patting your hair back into place, calming down. Aang came bursting into the room, out of breath.

“I heard screaming,” he panted. “Where’s the danger?” He pointed his staff around the room, but there was none to be found.

You laughed, hands up. “Sorry, Aang. That was just Toph. She thought she was gonna be funny.” You shot her a dirty look, even though she couldn’t see it.

“Oh.” He lowered his staff then got a look at you. “Oh wow, you look fantastic! Why’d you do your makeup, though? And is your hair down? Seriously, (Y/N), I wouldn’t have known it was you.”

“Ah, well,” your heartrate sped up and you knew you were in a corner. “Ya know, I like makeup,” you finished lamely. Aang looked confused.

“You never wear makeup and your hair is never down.” His confused look suddenly turned sly. “Ohhh,” he said craftily. “You’re gonna see a GUY at the party tonight!”

You blanched. Really? Out of all people, Aang was on to you? C’mon spirits, a little help would be nice.

“Well, I-” you mumbled, looking at the floor in embarrassment. Toph grinned in the corner while Katara watched with interest.

“Don’t forget I can tell when you’re lying,” Toph sang. Shit. You forgot about that.

“There’s a guy I like. Yes. And yes, I believe he’s gonna be at the party. There, you caught me. Now back off before I kick your asses.”

Aang and Katara looked at Toph for confirmation. She nodded. “She’s telling the truth. About all of it. Even the ass kicking.”

How humiliating. At least they didn’t ask who it was. Or worse, start guessing. You didn’t know why it was such a big deal that you got dressed up. It’s not like the others were regularly dressing like fashion models, but you supposed that they did in fact dress nicer than you did. You just didn’t see the point in fashion and makeup while you were running from the Fire Nation. At least Sokka wasn’t there to witness that conversation, thank the Spirits.

\---

Sokka was fed up with this day. First of all, when he arrived at the bathhouse, it was jam packed with naked guys who were trying to get clean for the mixer that night. He had to wait in a long line just to find a place in the bathhouse. All those buff nude guys made him uncomfortable and when he dropped his clothes on the ground and had to bend down to pick them up coming face to face with someone’s… twig and berries, he had officially had it with today.

At first he had been excited to go to the mixer because it meant more time alone with you, but now he just wanted to get back home and crawl onto Appa’s soft fur and take a looong nap. However he forced himself to get clean and put on his nicest tunic and pants. He fiddled with his hair for a while, putting it up into his wolf tail then taking it down again because you had once told him you liked how he looked with his hair down.

In the end, he decided to wear it down. He was really and truly whipped, huh.

He finally arrived back home, Toph, Katara, and Aang lounging around playing a game of Pai Sho.

“Well look at you, Mr. Fancy,” Katara teased. “Why were you at the bathhouse all day? Couldn’t get rid of the smell?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sokka muttered, taking another look at his reflection. “Where’s (Y/N),” he asked casually, though his heart rate sped up as he simply said your name.

“She went off to find some dinner before the mixer,” replied Aang, shoving a tile across the board. “She didn’t like what we had to eat here. But now that I think about it, she may have been meeting some guy.”

Sokka visibly stiffened. “What guy? Who is she meeting? We don’t know these people! What if she gets hurt? You guys are just gonna let her meet this… this delinquent? This punk?”

Aang shrugged. “Dunno. She looks great though. She did her makeup and actually let her hair down. When I asked her about it, she said that she was gonna see a guy at the mixer tonight. Then she said she was gonna kick my ass if we kept talking about it.”

Katara piped up. “We don’t know who it is, so there’s a very real possibility he’s not a supposed delinquent, Sokka. Why do you care so much? You’ve never had any interest in anyone me, Aang, or Toph has gone to see. This mixer is literally about meeting new people. Relax.”

Sokka’s cheeks burned. “Well, the reason I didn’t care about whoever you guys see is because we weren’t in this crappy city whenever you had your,” he waved his hand around, “get togethers,” he said, his voice rising steadily.

“Whatever you say,” Aang said while Katara simply shrugged.

Toph remained noticeably silent.

\---

After grabbing dinner at a nearby food stand, you made your way to the ballroom where the mixer was being held, feeling nervous. You should have just waited for the GAang, but you were nervous to see Sokka. It was much easier to walk into a crowd of people you didn’t know than face the man you had fallen so hard for.

_“Hey, (Y/N)!” Sokka came running up to you as you sat on the pebbly beach of a river, watching Katara and Aang hurl water at each other, your hair wet and loose around your face. “Wanna see something cool?” He grinned at you, holding out his hand. You didn’t hesitate to take it, pulling yourself up._

_“Of course. What is it?” You queried, hand starting to sweat as his big, calloused hand held your softer smaller one. You hoped he wouldn’t notice._

_“Nuh uh, I can’t tell you. You’ll just have to trust me.” He stopped dead in his tracks, and looked back at you, searching your face. “You do trust me, right?” He asked softly._

_Goddamn he was cute. The afternoon light made his tanned skin glow and his blue eyes twinkle with mischief. You had the privilege of watching him grow from a young, unsure boy into a caring, funny man. It didn’t hurt that his frame had filled out, his toned arms making you a little weak in the knees._

_“With my life.”_

_The smile he gave you could have lit up the world._

_You followed him off the beach and through the trees of the forest, your hand still in his. You both laughed, stumbling through the forest over tree roots and rocks. Once when you stubbed your toe, you shouted a string of curses so loud that the birds took off from the trees above while Sokka was practically on the ground cackling at your misfortune. Immediately after he stood up, you shooting him dirty looks, he turned and smacked into a tree. You laughed so hard you cried._

_Sokka led you through the dense woods until you reached a small clearing, wildflowers dotting the area. A small stream bubbled off in the distance, and a light breeze moved through the trees._

_You blinked in the sunlight, taking in the serenity in front of you._

_"So," he ventured, hand behind his neck, "What do you think?" He tried not to notice the way your hair caught the sunlight._

_You turned to look at him, breathless. "It's gorgeous, Sokka. How did you find this place?"_

_His cheeks burned. "Oh, you know," he rolled his shoulders, "my killer instincts." You snorted at that but continued to bask in the afternoon sun. You tried not to notice the dimple he had on his left cheek._

_You two sat there until late in the afternoon. You had picked wildflowers to weave into his hair, secretly overjoyed to be doing so. You had slipped off the rubber band that held his hair in his wolf tail, and to give you easier access, he laid his head in your lap._

_"Hey Sokka?"_

_"Mmm?"_

_"I like your hair when it's down."_

_"Oh." A tense silence. "T-Thanks." You sighed._

_"You're welcome." you murmured, his hair cascading through your fingers. He let out an involuntary groan at the feeling._

_Oh god. He had just groaned at you playing with his hair. He wanted to wither away into nothingness, he was so embarrassed. But you just laughed and continued to stroke his hair, leaving him speechless, which was rare._

_"Hey (Y/N)?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"I like it when your hair is down, too."_

The mixer was a happening place. There were unfamiliar faces at every corner and eventually, you found yourself sandwiched between a pillar and a very eager Earth bender flexing his muscles. He was cute, but he was, as Toph would describe, a pompous windbag. You tried to look for any opening in the conversation, when suddenly you spotted a familiar bald head. With a lame excuse you pushed yourself away from the Earth bender and ran toward Aang.

"Aang!" You called, glad to see someone you knew. He turned to you and gave you a toothy smile.

"Hey! There you are! We thought we lost you!" He pulled you in for a quick hug and you patted his head. 

"I'm fine. Have you seen Katara, Toph or..." You hesitated. "Sokka?"

"Oh yeah, they're around here somewhere. I heard Toph say something about going to find some high end jerk to prank. Katara went to go get us drinks," he continued, but you didn't miss the way the tips of his ears turned red. "And Sokka went looking for you about half an hour ago."

Oh, that was new. You couldn't help but feel elated that he wasn't off flirting with some other girl. 

"Alright, Aang. Have fun and I'll see you later, ok?" He nodded, a smile on his face. You leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Good luck with Katara. She'd love it if you complimented her dress." He flushed, but gave you a grateful thanks.

In your opinion, there were just too many damn people here. You couldn't find Sokka to save your life. You tried to squeeze through people with a cacophony of excuse me's and sorry's, but these people would not budge. While you were trying to squeeze by a couple someone caught your arm and spun you around. The person was gripping your arm much too hard. 

"Why did you leave our conversation, hmm?" 

Spirits, it was that effing Earth bender. You smiled weakly at him before asking him to release your arm. He didn't.

"Listen, buddy," you snapped, "I don't know who you think you are, but I know who the hell I am, so I would very much appreciate it if you would get the hell off of me."

The Earth bender sneered at you. "I'm Haruki and I'm the best damn Earth bender in Ba Sing Se." 

You twisted out of his grip and reached for you fans that you carried on you as both a fashion statement and a weapon. Now THAT'S functional fashion. 

"No, you're not, and if you touch me one more time, I will not hesitate to take you down," you threatened, your nose about an inch from his.

"(Y/N)?" A voice called.

Oh Spirits, not now. Not now you big, lovable idiot. You turned to face him.

"Sokka." It was so good to see him, but not under these circumstances. He wore a long sleeved light blue tunic trimmed in white and decorated with Southern Water Tribe detailing. His trousers were the same blue as his tunic and just tight enough so you could see his butt, not that you were looking, and his hair, his soft brown hair was worn down, framing his face. You could look at that face all day.

"What are you doing? Who is this?" He asked, his face a passive mask.

"He's no one, Sokka. He was just leaving." You faced Haruki, shooting daggers out of your eyes. Oh, if only looks could kill.

Haruki took one look at Sokka and scoffed. "Why would I leave when I have your company, sweetheart." He then tried to grab you once more, but before you could react, something slammed into his head, knocking him backward until he fell unceremoniously to the tile floor.

"Don't you dare touch her," Sokka snarled, boomerang in hand, pointing it at the Earth bender's face. To say you were surprised would be an understatement. "Don't even think about coming near her ever again."

The guests at the mixer stopped to watch the spectacle with faint interest before they went back to having a good time. Sokka took one pained look at you, then left the party. You followed him through the intricate doors of the ballroom and out into a deserted town square with a fountain in the middle, the lamplight dimly illuminating Sokka's features.

He stopped walking as he approached the fountain, his eyes empty. You reached out to touch his shoulder, but he pulled away.

"You scared me." 

His confession came out of nowhere, the now deafening silence pressing down on you. You opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Sokka sighed and sat down on the edge of the fountain, face in his hands. You sat with him.

"I guess your boyfriend isn't gonna like me after that stunt, huh," he said weakly, attempting a smile.

"What are you even talking about, Sokka?" You were genuinely confused.

"That guy who was grabbing you," came his short reply.

You looked at him, stunned, but he wouldn't meet your eyes. You started to laugh. At first it was a giggle but then it turned into a full on belly laugh.

"That douchebag isn't my boyfriend. He isn't even my friend. I was trying to ditch his sorry ass," you said between laughs. "Why would you ever think I would be interested in someone like him?"

Now it was Sokka's turn to look confused. "Aang told me that, well, he told me that you were going to the party all dressed up to see some guy." He rushed through his sentence so fast you could barely keep up with him. He still wouldn't meet your eyes.

Oh. Oh no. Aang, why did you have to tell Sokka of all people? You mentally facepalmed. Taking a deep breath, you brought your hand up to gently turn Sokka's face to yours.

"It's true," you breathed, your stomach full of butterflies, "I did get all dressed up to see some guy." Sokka tried to look down but you brought your other hand to rest on his cheek, tilting his head up so you could look into the eyes of the man you had come to love.

"I dressed up to see you." Silence even more deafening than the first followed your admission.

"Me?" He whispered.

"Yes, you."

Sokka didn't want to believe it. His heart was soaring but his brain was telling him it wasn't true. He looked at you, soaking in every little detail. You did look stunning. He thought that the minute he first laid eyes on you at the party. Of course, he had always thought you were stunning but with your hair loose and wavy down your back and however you managed to do your makeup (he didn't understand the slightest thing about makeup) had him ready to fall to his knees in awe of you. Not to mention your dress, which had him thinking some very taboo thoughts. 

But then he had seen that man hold you in place. You were clearly uncomfortable, but Sokka had filled his head with thoughts of you talking to some handsome, nameless stranger who just so happened to be better at throwing a boomerang than him. 

"Why me?" He shivered even though he wasn't cold. Your softly removed your hands from his face, letting them fall in your lap.

Why him? Why wouldn't it be him? You had never met a man so passionate about helping his friends and helping his family. He was funny without being mean. He knew just what to say when you were sad. He cared about you. He tried to protect you, even though you didn't need it. Well, you actually did need it. He had proved himself to be the man who would always be there for you. It was him because he was so uniquely Sokka that it took your breath away.

"Do you trust me?" You asked, your voice trembling.

There was no hesitation when he replied, "With my life."

"It's you because," you said, looking into his ocean blue eyes, "I think I'm in love with you."

That was not what he expected. Gone was his usually witty self which had been replaced with something incredibly vulnerable. You had just told him the words he had longed to hear since you first met on Kyoshi Island. It was... euphoric. 

"Oh," he managed to squeak out, his mind going a mile a minute. "(Y/N), I-" You interrupted him. 

"I am so sorry. I knew it was a bad idea to tell you. Oh, Spirits." It was your turn to bury your face in your hands. You only looked up when a gentle hand carded through your hair. One of his fingers lifted your chin so he could look into your eyes, and you shivered at the close contact. You were only mere inches away from his mouth.

"Let me finish?" You nodded. He took a deep breath. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words. I've wanted to tell you every day. And I want to tell you every day for the rest of my life that I love you too."

You thought your were going to shatter into a million pieces just hearing him say that. You threw your arms around him, nestling your face into the crook of his neck, his hair tickling your nose. His arms wrapped around you, and you could feel his tense muscles underneath. You'd be lying if you said you weren't attracted to them. He held you for a while, stroking your hair while you simply breathed him in. Somehow, he always smelled like the ocean.

"Sokka?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to kiss you now."

"Hey, that's just what I was thinking about doing!"

You grinned at him, a light blush dusting your cheeks. And when your lips finally met his, it was like fireworks had exploded behind your eyelids. He kissed you gently, afraid to touch you. But you weren't afraid to touch him. You pulled yourself closer, your left hand cupping his cheek and your right tangling in his hair. He got the hint and placed one hand on the small of your back and the other was stroking your hair.

His lips were soft against yours, and you couldn't help but let out an involuntary groan when he lightly traced your bottom lip with his tongue, which you parted to grant him access. He tugged you closer so there was no room left between you as you explored each other. You only jumped apart when a familiar voice shouted across the square.

"Hey lovebirds, get a room!" Toph was standing there with a smirk on her face as Aang and Katara looked on, their mouths open in shock. You looked at Sokka to see what he would say, but he looked just as speechless as you. His eyes were bright and his lips were swollen, not to mention his hair which had been tangled by your hand. You were sure you had to look somewhat the same.

Sokka grabbed your hand and pulled you off the fountain and led into the deserted city streets, both of you laughing to hide your embarrassment at being caught having a make out session. 

After making your escape and being led deeper into Ba Sing Se, Sokka pressed you up against a wall in an alley way, trailing feather-light kisses down your neck, his leg resting between your thighs. He sucked on a patch of skin at the nape of your neck, marking you as his and only his. 

"(Y/N)," he murmured, his voice husky. "I really like it when you wear your hair down." He gave your hair a light tug.

"Hey Sokka?" You gently ran your fingers through his soft hair, feeling elated. "I feel the same about you."


End file.
